Christine Dillon Interview and Giveaway!

I’m happy to introduce a new friend I made through Christian readers and authors’ groups, Christine Dillon. She has her first fictional novel debuting this month! And she’s from Australia which I find fascinating. I’ve always wanted to visit there.

Christine, tell us something about Australia that we might not know or would be interested in.

I find this kind of question tough but here goes:

*Australia is approximately the same size as the 48 states of the UD but only has 24 million people (compared to 323 million). Much of the central part of Australia is desert.

* Koalas aren’t cuddly and are rather smelly.

* My home city is beautiful but expensive. Sydney house prices are now the second highest in the world – worse than New York.

* Australia is much more secular and anti-Christian than the US. We are astounded at the support that Christian fiction has in the US. Having a Christian novel in a regular bookshop or even library would be unusual here.

Well, I’m sad to hear that about Australia not having much Christian fiction. You have a heart for missions. We’d love to hear more about your experiences.

I have a heart for missions because that is God’s heart beat. For me his last command to ‘make disciples’ has meant being overseas. It’s a privilege to be in a place where I’m forced to trust Jesus far more than I would at home. I learn so much and hang around with such amazing people.

It was a real struggle for me to understand how fiction could fit into my life (since I’m not paid to write). A wise friend said, “Fiction is just another way to make disciples.” That made things clear for me and helped me persevere.

So true! I love that outlook! I know you’ve published in non-fiction, previously. What led you to write this fictional story?

About ten years ago I was doing a half day of prayer for ministry related topics. Out of nowhere the ideas for two novels dropped into my head. My response was, “Surely not Lord.” But I wrote the ideas down and told God that if the ideas were from him then he’d have to push me to write and give me the ability. I could see that fiction would be much harder than non-fiction. In 2013, the push was strong enough to get me started on the planning and first draft.

Every day of my life for the last fourteen years I’ve been telling Bible stories with adults. It made sense to write fiction as a different kind of story. I also wanted to write about Bible storytelling within the context of a novel to demonstrate how natural it can be.

The kind of Christian fiction I like to read has what I call, ‘eternal impact’. The kind of fiction that inspires you to follow Jesus more closely. The kind of fiction that brings tears to the eyes. If I was going to write fiction, that’s what I wanted to write. I wanted to deal with real issues. Grace in Strange Disguise tackles a major issue that I see over and over again as I make disciples. What is God there for? What are our expectations of him and what are his of us? What does it mean when we say, “God bless you?”

Sounds like a calling! Tell us about Grace in Strange Disguise then!

Grace in Strange Disguise

Physiotherapist Esther Macdonald is living the Australian dream, and it doesn’t surprise her.

After all, her father has always said, “Follow Jesus and be blessed.” But at twenty-eight, her world shatters. Everyone assures her God will come through for her, but what happens when he doesn’t? Has she offended God? Or is her faith too small? So many conflicting explanations.

Christine Dillon was born in Australia but grew up in Asia. She now works in Taiwan as a Bible storyteller. Her book ‘Telling the Gospel Through Story’ was voted 2013 Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year in Evangelism, and continues to inspire innovative and engaging Bible storytelling. Believing in the beauty and power of story prompted her jump into fiction. She loves reading, and keeps sane by cycling and swimming.

Janet Ferguson

Janet W. Ferguson grew up in Mississippi and received a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Mississippi. She has served as a children’s minister and a church youth volunteer. An avid reader, she worked as a librarian at a large public high school. She writes humorous inspirational fiction for people with real lives and real problems. Janet and her husband have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a few cats that allow them to share the space. Connect with her at http://www.janetfergusonauthor.com/

Like this:

Related

17 Comments

Janet thank you sharing your visit with Christine Dillon with us, plus the opportunity for one of our readers to win the giveaway.

Christine, I enjoyed getting to know you and am so glad that Janet invited you to share your story behind the story with us!

Janet, we are blessed to have you as a part of our Heart”wings” blog team ministry as we send our testimonies and messages of faith, hope, and love into an often dark and troubled world. As we shine His light into the vast darkness, we pray that our readers will be drawn closer to God through our blog messages so that they will be used for His glory and purpose. j

I really enjoyed this post and enjoyed getting to know Christine Dillon. I am now following her on her social media. When I think of Australia, I think of one of my favorite worship groups, Hillsong. I honestly did not know that Australia is more secular and more anti-Christian! I’m looking forward to reading this book. I noticed on Amazon that it says it is similar to books by Francine Rivers, another author that I enjoy. Thank you for introducing us to another author!!!

I, too, enjoyed e’meeting Christine. Thank you for sharing her, Janet! Christiane, I LOVED what your friend told you . . . “Fiction is just another way to make disciples.” To a fellow Christian fiction writer, it is profound. 🙂 <3 Thank you for sharing with us, too! Blessings and love and God's great favor be with you both!

You have interviewed one of the most talented, dedicated and capable teachers, missionaries and authors I know! I love her books, and am amazed at how God is using her through many media, in several languages, and around the world! I pray this book will indeed give people a taste of God’s mercy, a desire to learn Bible stories, and a passion to serve God by sharing Him with others!

Great interview! I love reading Christian fiction that has ‘eternal impact’ and brings you closer in your walk with Jesus. I’ve read the first four chapters of Christine’s book and it certainly promises to do just that. Can’t wait to read more 😊.